Valerie Harper joins 'Dancing' competition

2013-09-04 18:11:00

Busy cancer patient Valerie Harper leads a class of 12 amateur hoofers in the upcoming 17th season of “Dancing With the Stars.”

The cast was revealed Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” For a show that has reached an increasingly older audience, ABC added an injection of youth with reality stars Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi of “Jersey Shore” and Ozzy’s kid Jack Osbourne.

Harper has defied odds with her survival since being diagnosed earlier this year with brain cancer. She recently filmed a movie role and joined a Nick at Nite reunion of “The Mary Tyler Moore” cast.

The Human Rights Foundation has criticized Kanye West for performing at a wedding in Kazakhstan, joining a chorus of detractors who say he legitimized the human rights violations of the nation’s president.

The rapper performed at the wedding of President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s grandson last Saturday. The human rights group compared the appearance to a similar visit earlier this summer by Jennifer Lopez to Turkmenistan, which has its own history of human rights violations.

Foundation President Thor Halvorssen said in a statement that Kazakhstan is a “human rights wasteland” where entertainers like West would be imprisoned for expressing their views.

West’s publicist did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The foundation says Nazarbayev curbs the political rights of his people, suppresses the media and kidnaps the family members of dissidents to maintain his rule.

Andrews, Bennett join salute to Burnett

Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will honor Carol Burnett as she receives the nation’s top humor prize in Washington.

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is awarding Burnett the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Oct. 20. The show will be broadcast on PBS stations Nov. 24.

The lineup of entertainers who will salute Burnett on stage also includes Maya Rudolph, Martin Short and Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

Burnett became famous playing a variety of characters in sketch comedy routines for 11 years on TV’s “The Carol Burnett Show.” She had her breakout on Broadway in “Once Upon a Mattress” while also appearing on morning TV.

The prize honors Mark Twain’s tradition of satire and social commentary.

Stewart returns to ‘Daily Show’

Jon Stewart is back, and the shaggy beard he grew over the summer is gone.

In his return Tuesday, “The Daily Show” host quickly referenced stories he missed – Paula Deen, Anthony Weiner’s alter ego “Carlos Danger” and Miley Cyrus’ sultry MTV dance – then took up the challenge of trying to make comedy and social commentary out of the Syrian poison gas attack.

Stewart had been off Comedy Central since June 6, directing and producing a movie. John Oliver subbed to strong reviews.

He was welcomed in an extended skit with Oliver and Stephen Colbert, who tried to bring back the old Stewart after Oliver mock-worried that “the Middle East has changed him.”

Back at his desk, Stewart beckoned the camera close to whisper to his audience: “I’ve missed you so much. You don’t know what it’s like in the real world. Nobody applauds every stupid (expletive) thing that you do.”

Stewart played a tape of President Barack Obama urging military action against Syria because of last month’s poison gas attack.

“America taking military action against a Middle East regime,” Stewart said. “It’s like I never left.”

The director said Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival that he cannot tell if Rumsfeld, who narrates the film, was putting on a “performance” or being himself.

“The Unknown Known” is competing for the top Golden Lion award. Morris’ “The Fog of War” won an Oscar in 2003 for its look at Robert McNamara, secretary of defense during the escalation of the Vietnam War.

His latest documentary analyzes the U.S. decision to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. It includes clips from Pentagon news conferences as it offers an unflinching look at Rumsfeld’s career through his own words.